1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a haptic function which delivers various stimuli to a user according to an application currently being executed. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for synchronizing a sound source and a vibration generated according to a user's touch input in order to implement the haptic function in a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent technical advances, portable terminals, providing wireless voice calls and data exchanges, have become ubiquitous in modern society. In the past, the portable terminals were regarded as portable devices that only provided wireless calls. However, along with the technological advances and an introduction of the wireless Internet, the portable terminals are now used for many purposes in addition to simple telephone calls or scheduling. For example, the portable terminals now provide a variety of functions, such as games, remote controlling using near field communication, capturing images using a built-in digital camera, and the like, to satisfy users' demands.
Recently introduced portable terminals provide various vibration patterns by using a haptic function, and also provide a function when a vibration bell is generated by using the various vibration patterns.
In conventional computer technology, information is exchanged between a human and a computer by using visual or auditory sense information. However, to satisfy the growing user demand on more specific and realistic information, a haptic technology has been developed to deliver tactile information.
The term ‘haptic’ is generally used to designate a computer tactile technology, and includes a force feedback which enables a user to feel a force and a sense of motion and a tactile feedback which enables the user to feel a tactile sensation of an object. The haptic technology is used for a game simulator, a medial simulator, and the like. In addition thereto, the haptic technology is widely used in various fields requiring increased cost, time, or risk to be directly experienced by humans.
In general, the haptic technology uses a vibration and a sound source in response to a user's touch input. However, since sound source reproduction and a vibration generation request corresponding to the user's touch input are separately processed, the vibration and the sound source may be generated with a time difference. For example, the vibration is generated after the sound source is generated, rather than the vibration and the sound source being generated simultaneously.
Accordingly, since the sound source and the vibration are generated with a time difference as described above, the user of the portable terminal cannot intuitively use the haptic function.